Wednesday MidDay Medley
Produced and Hosted by Mark Manning
90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio
TEN to NOON Wednesdays – Streaming at KKFI.org

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024
(Part 3 of 4)

Wednesday MidDay Medley presents part-three, of our four-week special: WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024. Based on playlists of this little ole radio show, we’ve compiled representative tracks from our favorite full-length albums and EP recordings of 2024. We realize these “Best of” lists can seem subjective, so we ask that you please accept our list as a celebration of the year in music.

In 2024 we’ve broadcast nearly 900 different tracks on WMM over our 100,000 watts of 90.1 FM Community Radio Airwaves. Over 500 of these tracks were from New & MidCoastal Releases. 60 of the representative tracks in our “Best of” list are from MidCoastal Releases. We conducted over 118 interviews with 141 special guests. 40 of the bands and artists in our “Best of” list have joined us as guests on WMM.

Tune into Wednesday MidDay Medley throughout December for our 4-week series: The 120 Best Recordings of 2024, on December 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th. This is our celebration of the year when we were able to survey over 1000 area musical releases.

We’ll count down #60 through #31 with tracks from: ALBER, elska, The Whips, Zee Underscore, RxGhost, True Lions, Quiet Takes, Lonnie Fisher, Paris Williams, Keelon Vann, Dan Camino, Danielle Nicole, Say That Again, MellowPhobia, The Fun Guy, Marty Bush,Xiu Xiu, Kali Uchis, PJ Morton, Swamp Dogg, Hermanos Gutiérrez, MJ Lenderman, Flamy Grant, Billie Eilish, Arooj Aftab, Nubya Garcia, Okay Kaya, Nilüfer Yanya, Laura Marling, and Samara Joy.

1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
   from: Orig. Motion Picture Soundtrack All That Jazz / Casablanca / Dec. 20, 1979 [WMM’s theme]

2. (#60.) Xiu Xiu – “Common Loon”
   from: 13″ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips / Polyvinyl Records / Sept. 27, 2024
   [13″ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips, colloquially referred to as 13″, is the fourteenth studio album by American experimental band Xiu Xiu, released on September 27, 2024 by Polyvinyl. // “Common Loon”, is the lead siongle which was accompanied by a music video featuring Alicia McDaid. The singles “Arp Omni” and “Veneficium” were released on August 13, 2024 // The album’s title comes from a switchblade owned by band frontperson Jamie Stewart. In an interview with Our Culture, Stewart explained, “Switchblades, since the 1950s, are an almost clichéd symbol of ‘tough guy’ aesthetics. But as an instrument of violence, they’re pretty useless… Serving as a symbol for violence and fear while being pretty useless is a fascinating symbol of violence generally.” Stewart said one driving force the record was “interesting uselessness”, “a stupid contradiction that could have genuine consequences”. They said that there were switchblades “around the studio or at our desks or whatever”, which functioned as a sort of talisman, guiding the band throughout the production. // On the review aggregating website Metacritic, 13″ received “universal acclaim” based on a normalized rating of 81 out of 100 from 6 critical reviews. Dale Maplethorpe of Far Out praised the album for being an “unpredictable mesh of chaos,” and wrote that it “is an absolute joy from start to finish.” The Quietus’s Claire Biddles said the album “might be Xiu Xiu’s best,” further noting that it’s “funny, terrifying, extreme, horny, embarrassing, relatable – everything that Xiu Xiu have ever been at once.” // Current members: Jamie Stewart on production, vocals, percussion, guitar, synthesizers, keyboards, piano, programming, bass, organ, harmonium, viola (2002–present); Angela Seo on production, vocals, percussion, piano, synthesizers, programming, organ, harmonium (2009–present) // David Kendrick on production, drums, percussion (2022–present) // Xiu Xiu (SHOO-shoo) is an American experimental rock band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of multi-instrumentalists Stewart (the only constant member since formation), Angela Seo, and percussionist David Kendrick. The band’s name comes from the Chinese film Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl, which has influenced the sound of their music, according to Stewart. // Xiu Xiu released their first two albums, Knife Play (2002) and A Promise (2003), on 5 Rue Christine to positive critical reception. In-between the two, the EP Chapel of the Chimes was released via Absolutely Kosher. The compilation album Fag Patrol was released shortly after, and their third studio album Fabulous Muscles was released in 2004. La Forêt was released in 2005 after Caralee McElroy joined the group, and The Air Force followed in 2006. 2008’s Women as Lovers was released via the main Kill Rock Stars label in 2008, and McElroy departed the group shortly afterwards. // Dear God, I Hate Myself was released in 2010 and was the first Xiu Xiu album to prominently feature longtime member Angela Seo. Following a signing to Polyvinyl and Bella Union, Xiu Xiu released Always (2012) and Angel Guts: Red Classroom (2014). In between those two projects, the group released a Nina Simone tribute project, Nina, in late 2013 via Graveface Records. // Plays the Music of Twin Peaks (2016) followed, an album consisting of covers from the Twin Peaks soundtracks originally as a Record Store Day exclusive release but re-released by Polyvinyl later that year. Forget (2017) and Girl with Basket of Fruit (2019) were released afterwards, and Xiu Xiu released their twelfth album Oh No in 2021. Their thirteenth album, Ignore Grief, was released in March 2023, and their fourteenth, 13″ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips, was released in September 2024. // Jamie Stewart formed Xiu Xiu in 2002 after their previous band, Ten in the Swear Jar, disbanded. Stewart and Cory McCulloch continued from the previous group, and were joined by Yvonne Chen and Lauren Andrews. The band’s sound was characterized by its use of indigenous instruments and programmed drums in place of traditional rock instruments: harmonium, mandolin, brass bells, gongs, keyboards, and a cross between a guitarrón mexicano and a cello for bass, etc. Stewart states that the group is equally influenced by Nina Simone and Krzysztof Penderecki, by The Birthday Party and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). // Xiu Xiu would tour their first LP Knife Play, and its successor EP, Chapel of the Chimes, in 2002, blending both melody and cacophony with a heavy reliance on percussive instrumentation and brass instrumentation. // Following 2002, the group would shrink in membership as Yvonne Chen left to focus on her vegan boutique Otsu and self-published magazine Zum, while Cory McCulloch also stopped touring, focusing instead on producing the band’s next two LPs. A personal loss would affect Xiu Xiu as well, as Jamie Stewart’s father, musician and record producer Michael Stewart was found dead after an apparent suicide. Coping with these losses, Stewart would record the group’s follow-up to Knife Play, 2003’s A Promise. Xu Xiu played The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. Lawrence, KS. On October 24, at 7:00pm With special guests: Ebony Tusks. And Jackson Graham.]

3. (#59.) Kali Uchis – “Perdiste”
   from: ORQUIDEAS / Geffen Records / January 12, 2024
   [The fourth studio album and second Spanish-language album by American singer-songwriter Kali Uchis, who was born Karly-Marina Loaiza on July 17, 1994. Kali Uchis is an American singer and songwriter. After releasing her debut mixtape Drunken Babble (2012), she released her debut EP Por Vida (2015). She released her debut studio album Isolation (2018) to widespread acclaim. Her second studio album and first Spanish-language project Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) (2021) spawned the single “Telepatía”, which became her first solo charting hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Her third studio album Red Moon in Venus (2023) became her first to debut within the top 5 on the Billboard 200. // Uchis was featured on Kaytranada’s 2019 single “10%”, which won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. Her other accolades include an American Music Award, two Billboard Music Awards, and a nomination for a Latin Grammy Award. // Uchis was born Karly-Marina Loaiza in Alexandria, Virginia, on July 17, 1994, the daughter of a Colombian family. Her parents met during the late 1980s, and her father moved back to Colombia when Uchis was in high school. She subsequently spent summers in Colombia with her father, uncles, and aunts. During the school year, she lived with her mother and older siblings. In high school, she learned to play the piano and saxophone. She participated in a jazz band, and graduated from Alexandria City High School (then called T. C. Williams High School). She often skipped class to spend time at the photo lab, making experimental short films. Her interest in photography led to her creating mixtape cover art. Skipping class and breaking the curfew set by her parents led to her being kicked out of her home. During this time, she lived in her car and wrote songs on her keyboard which would later appear on her debut mixtape Drunken Babble (2012). She also wrote poetry and did not initially intend to sing, being more interested in directing films than being in the spotlight. She was given the nickname “Kali Uchis” by her father and adopted it as her stage name.]

4. (#58.) The Whips – “I Think She Knows”
   from: Stardust & Motor Oil – EP / Midtopia Records / August 2, 2024
   [The Whips are Miles Patterson on drums, Quinn Cosgrove on bass, Max Indiveri on guitar, and Coop on piano. The Whips are a funk/soul band based in Kansas City. The Whips released their 12 track debut album HOW TO HOLD A GRUDGE on Lotuspool Records on September 1, 2023, Recorded with Audio Engineer Chris Cosgrove. the album features an array of their favorite local musicians guest in various tracks including: Malek Azrael, Anna Duntz, Atomic Blonde, Die Jane, Tre’ Mutava, Lymerrick & Lucy Brock. The Whips released their single, “Begin Again”on February 2, 2024. The Whips released their single, “As Long As You Want Me” on March 8, 2024. The Whips released their 6-track Debut EP, NEVER CHANGE, OR DO on August 20, 2021 on Draft Crew Records. The Whips released multiple singles in 2021. More info at: ww.thewhipsband.com].

5. (#57.) PJ Morton – “I Found You”
   from: Cape Town to Cairo / Morton Records / June 14, 2024
   [P.J. Morton (born Paul Sylvester Morton Jr.; March 29, 1981) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Since 2012, he has been the keyboardist for the pop band Maroon 5. Morton originally joined the band as a touring member in 2010 and became an official member in 2012 after Jesse Carmichael went on a short hiatus (he returned to the lineup playing guitar in 2014). // Morton released his debut solo EP, Following My First Mind, in March 2012, through the record label Young Money. Adam Levine and James Valentine were featured on the lead single, “Heavy”. In May 2013, Morton released his first major-label debut album, New Orleans. In 2016, he released his mixtape Bounce & Soul Vol. 1 in March and the Sticking to My Guns EP in July. On April 14, 2017, Morton released his first self-released studio album Gumbo, earning Morton two Grammy Award nominations for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Song at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. // In April 2019, Morton said he would begin a project to restore the New Orleans home of jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden and create a museum and community space at the site. Bolden’s former home has been owned by Morton’s father’s church for more than a decade, and had been cited for demolition by neglect. // Morton was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father is Canadian-born American gospel singer and Founder of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, Bishop Paul S. Morton. His mother is Dr. Debra Brown Morton, pastor of Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church. // Morton graduated St. Augustine High School and majored in marketing at Morehouse College, graduating in 2003. // In 2010, Morton’s friend and Maroon 5’s musical director Adam Blackstone asked him to audition for a position in the band as a touring keyboardist and backing vocalist. Morton was the first to audition and left an indelible mark on the group. Since then, he has played with Maroon 5 in concerts and other live performances. From 2012 to 2014 Morton filled-in for the band’s keyboardist, Jesse Carmichael, who was on an indefinite hiatus from performing with the group, as stated on their official website in March 2012. In 2012, he joined the band as a full-time member, contributing his vocal and keyboard parts on Maroon 5’s fourth studio album, Overexposed, and continuing to do so during the processes of recording the band’s albums, V (2014), Red Pill Blues (2017), and Jordi (2021). // Morton’s solo work won the attention of Mack Maine, who signed him to his production company, Soothe Your Soul, and Young Money Entertainment in 2011. The Following My First Mind (EP) was released on March 27, 2012. // On May 14, 2013, Morton released his major-label debut studio album with Young Money Records, titled New Orleans. The album’s lead single, “Only One”, which features Stevie Wonder, was nominated for the Best R&B Song at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014. // In 2016, Morton moved to New Orleans and opened a record label called Morton Records which he envisioned as “the New Orleans Motown”. Same year, Morton started working on Gumbo. About the album’s title he said “I named it Gumbo because the actual dish is a bunch of things mixed in together to make [something] beautiful. I wanted to grow as a songwriter and talk about more things … about where we are in the world today, the tension, how divided we are as a country. It kind of felt like I was dumping a bunch of subject matter together and I made it in New Orleans so that sounded like gumbo to me.” As a first step, on March 25, 2016, Morton released Bounce & Soul Vol. 1, a mixtape which includes re-imagined versions of his best songs in New Orleans’ bounce style.On July 1, 2016, Morton released the Sticking to My Guns EP, featuring the single of the same name. The EP, besides including alternative versions of “First Began” and “Sticking to My Guns”, also contains “Say So”, a song that was later cut from the final tracklist of the album. On November 15, 2016, Morton released “You Should Be Ashamed”, a Stevie Wonder-esque socially conscious song that was later replaced by “Religion”. On March 13, 2017, Morton announced on his Instagram page April 14, 2017 as the release date of Gumbo. // Gumbo did not manage to enter on the US Billboard 200 chart but received positive reviews from most music critics, who complimented Morton’s style and praised him for his singing and songwriting. The album earned Morton two Grammy nominations for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Song at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. On February 14, 2019, Morton collaborated with singer JoJo on the song “Say So”, which served as the lead single for his sixth album Paul. // In 2020, Morton recorded his live album, The Piano Album. It features songs from Gumbo and Paul. On August 28, 2020, Morton released his long awaited gospel album Gospel According To PJ: From The Songbook of PJ Morton. The album features The Clark Sisters, Comissioned, Zacardi Cortez, Darrel Walls, and others. It also features remade versions of So In Love by Amber Bullock, Over and Over by Trinitee 5:7, and Let Go by Dwayne Woods. A documentary was released talking about how he was pressured to make Gospel music, the process of each song, and his father. Don’t Let Go from his previous album Paul was included featuring Kim Burrell. Do You Believe feat. Yolanda Adams was included from “Christmas With PJ Morton.” // Watch the Sun was released in mid 2022. The album blends elements of R&B, soul, and gospel, featuring collaborations with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Nas, JoJo , and Alex Isley. Known for its themes of hope and personal resilience, the album was praised for its emotional depth and musicality. // In 2023, Morton released Watch the Sun Live: The Mansion Sessions, a live album featuring stripped-down, intimate performances of songs from the original album, showcasing Morton’s vocal and instrumental prowess in a more acoustic setting. // Cape Town to Cairo is the seventh studio album by American musician PJ Morton, released in 2024 via Morton Records and EMPIRE. The album was conceived and recorded during a 30-day journey across Africa, with stops in cities such as Cape Town, Lagos, Accra, Cairo, and Johannesburg. Morton undertook the project without any pre-written material, seeking to capture the essence of his experiences in real-time. The album draws on various genres, including R&B, soul, gospel, jazz, and pop, all influenced by African musical traditions and rhythms, which Morton encountered throughout his travels. // The album features collaborations with several notable African artists, including Fireboy DML, Made Kuti, Aṣa, Ndabo Zulu, and the Soweto Spiritual Singers. Songs like “Simunye (We Are One)” emphasize African unity, while tracks like “Count On Me,” featuring Fireboy DML, explore themes of friendship and global togetherness. The project has been compared to Paul Simon’s Graceland (album) in its ambition and scope, but Morton’s direct immersion in African culture during the album’s creation sets it apart. // Morton has described Cape Town to Cairo as an exploration of the African diaspora through music, combining influences from the continent with his roots in New Orleans soul and gospel. The album was recorded with local musicians and producers such as P.Priime and The Cavemen (band), and its themes range from personal lineage and gratitude to broader messages of unity and identity. // After winning Grammy Awards for his songwriting and production on India.Arie’s Interested, Morton won Dove and Stellar Awards in 2008. // Morton was also noticed by AR Rahman, composer for Slumdog Millionaire, who asked Morton to contribute “Sajna” to the soundtrack and movie for the Vince Vaughn comedy Couples Retreat. Morton has also produced and written for musicians such as Jermaine Dupri, LL Cool J, Jagged Edge, Monica, India.Arie, gospel musicians Fred Hammond, Men of Standard, Brian Courtney Wilson, and Heather Headley. In 2009, he published a book entitled ‘ Why Can’t I Sing About Love? // Morton who wrote a song called “Battle Field” by Chinese singer Jane Zhang from the 2016 film The Great Wall. // in October 2023, Morton was featured in Portuguese singer Barbara Bandeira’s debut studio album Finda on the track Ego. // Morton wrote the song “Special Spice” for the theme park attraction Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is inspired by Disney’s 2009 film The Princess and the Frog. // He married his wife Kortni Morton on December 25, 2008. They grew up attending the same church and began dating as adults. They have three children;Jakai (aged 19), Paul III “P3” (aged 13) and Peyton (aged 11).]

6. (#56.) Swamp Dogg – “Count The Days (feat. Jenny Lewis)”
   from: Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St. / Oh Boy Records / May 31, 2024
   [Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St, is Swamp Dogg’s first record with Oh Boy Records . “Count The Days (feat. Jenny Lewis)” was first released in 1967 by Inez and Charlie Foxx and re-envisioned, with an official music video featuring Swamp and Lewis recording the track at Nashville’s Sound Emporium. // The feature-length documentary Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted premiered at the 2024 SXSW and received raves from The Austin Chronicle and The Hollywood Reporter who called it, “a documentary that draws its voice and aesthetic from the spirit of its subject, resulting in a tight 97 minutes that feel organic and satisfying and, as befits that subject, appealingly odd.” Rolling Stone also included Swamp Dogg’s official showcase in their Best of SXSW roundup proclaiming, “Swamp Dogg sounded bold and robust, his vigor encouraging his band to ratchet up the energy… every musician on stage was locked into an undeniable groove.” // Produced by Ryan Olson (Poliça, Gayngs) and recorded with an all-star band including Noam Pikelny, Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas, Chris Scruggs, Billy Contreras, and Kenny Vaughan, the 12-song collection is a riotous blend of past and present, mixing the sacred and the profane in typical Swamp Dogg fashion as it blurs the lines between folk, roots, country, blues, and soul. Special guests like Margo Price, Vernon Reid, Jenny Lewis, Justin Vernon, and The Cactus Blossoms all add to the excitement, but it’s ultimately the 81-year-old Swamp Dogg’s delivery—sly and playful and full of genuine joy and ache—that steals the show. // “Believe it or not, I didn’t do anything but sing these songs the way I would have sung them if it was an R&B album. That’s just the way the music comes out of me, and it would have been unholy for me to try and imitate anybody else,” explains Swamp Dogg about the making of the album. “Black music has had so many different labels put on it over the years that sometimes I’m onstage and I don’t know what the hell it is that I’m singing,” Swamp Dogg says with a laugh. “The only thing I know how to do is be myself.” // “Swamp Dogg is one of my favorite humans on the planet… How to classify him I just don’t know. He’s a soul artist, a psychedelic artist, a protest singer, he’s a man for all seasons.” – Ann Powers // Jerry Williams Jr. was born July 12, 1942. He is generally credited under the pseudonym Swamp Dogg after 1970, is an American soul and R&B singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. Williams has been described as “one of the great cult figures of 20th century American music.” // After recording as Little Jerry and Little Jerry Williams in the 1950s and 1960s, he reinvented himself as Swamp Dogg, releasing a series of satirical, offbeat, and eccentric recordings, as well as continuing to write and produce for other musicians. He debuted his new sound on the Total Destruction To Your Mind album in 1970. In the 1980s, he helped to develop Alonzo Williams’ World Class Wreckin’ CRU, which produced Dr. Dre among others. He continues to make music, releasing Love, Loss & Autotune on Joyful Noise Recordings in 2018, and Sorry You Couldn’t Make It in 202. // Williams was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. He made his first recording, “HTD Blues (Hardsick Troublesome Downout Blues)”, for the Mechanic record label in 1954, when he was aged 12, with his parents and uncle and backing musicians, and was regularly hired to play private parties. From 1960, he released occasional singles for a variety of labels, including the self-written “I’m The Lover Man” in 1964, which was first issued on the Southern Sound label and was then picked up by the larger Loma label, almost breaking into the national Billboard Hot 100. He also wrote successfully for other musicians, including “Big Party” for Barbara and the Browns. // As Little Jerry Williams, he had his first national chart success in 1966, when “Baby You’re My Everything”, which he co-wrote and produced, was released on the Calla label and rose to #32 on the R&B chart, again just missing the Hot 100. He released several more singles on Calla through to 1967, by now credited simply as Jerry Williams, but with little commercial success, although some of his records such as “If You Ask Me (Because I Love You)” later became staples of the Northern Soul movement in the UK. // By late 1967 he started working in A&R and other duties for the Musicor label in New York. In 1968 he co-wrote, with Charlie Foxx, Gene Pitney’s up-tempo hit, “She’s a Heartbreaker”, which Williams also claimed to have produced, saying: “I produced the motherfuck out of it… [and] Charlie Foxx put me down on the label as “vocal arranger.” What the fuck is that? When they took out full-page ads in Billboard and Cashbox, there was a picture of Charlie on one side and a picture of Gene Pitney on the other and no mention of me.” // Later in 1968 Williams began working as a producer at Atlantic Records with Jerry Wexler and Phil Walden, on artists including Patti LaBelle & the Blue Belles, though he found the administration frustrating. He established a songwriting partnership with Gary Anderson, who performed as Gary U.S. Bonds, and the pair wrote the R&B chart hits “To the Other Woman (I’m the Other Woman)” by Doris Duke, and “She Didn’t Know (She Kept on Talking)” by Dee Dee Warwick. He also recorded a single, “I Got What It Takes”, in a duo with Brooks O’Dell, and released two singles under his own name on the Cotillion label, a subsidiary of Atlantic. // Swamp Dogg Williams later wrote:I became Swamp Dogg in 1970 in order to have an alter-ego and someone to occupy the body while the search party was out looking for Jerry Williams, who was mentally missing in action due to certain pressures, mal-treatments and failure to get paid royalties on over fifty single records…. Most all of the tracks included were recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and Macon, Georgia, which brings me to how the name Swamp Dogg came about. Jerry Wexler, Atlantic Records v.p. and producer/innovator second to none, was recording in the newly discovered mecca of funk Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He coined the term “Swamp Music” for this awesome funk predominately played by all white musicians accompanying the R’n’B institutions e.g., Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, King Curtis… I was also using the same “swamp” players. I was tired of being a jukebox, singing all of the hits by Chuck Jackson, Ben E. King, etc., and being an R’n’B second banana. I couldn’t dance as good as Joe Tex, wasn’t pretty like Tommy Hunt, couldn’t compare vocally to Jackie Wilson and I didn’t have the sex appeal of Daffy Duck. I wanted to sing about everything and anything and not be pigeonholed by the industry. So I came up with the name Dogg because a dog can do anything, and anything a dog does never comes as a real surprise; if he sleeps on the sofa, shits on the rug, pisses on the drapes, chews up your slippers, humps your mother-in-law’s leg, jumps on your new clothes and licks your face, he’s never gotten out of character. You understand what he did, you curse while making allowances for him but your love for him never diminishes. Commencing in 1970, I sung about sex, niggers, love, rednecks, war, peace, dead flies, home wreckers, Sly Stone, my daughters, politics, revolution and blood transfusions (just to name a few), and never got out of character. Recording in Alabama and sincerely singing/writing about items that interested me, gave birth to the name Swamp Dogg. // Having adopted his moniker before Snoop Dogg was born he has claimed to be “the original D-O double G.” // In 1970 he emerged in his new Swamp Dogg persona, with two singles on Wally Roker’s Canyon label, “Mama’s Baby, Daddy’s Maybe”, again co-written with Bonds, and “Synthetic World”. He also produced the first Swamp Dogg album, Total Destruction to Your Mind. The album sleeve showed Williams sitting in his underwear on a pile of garbage. Williams’ new direction apparently followed an LSD trip, and was inspired by the radical politics of the time and by Frank Zappa’s use of satire, while showing his own expertise in, and commitment to, deep soul and R&B music. According to Allmusic: “In sheer musical terms, Swamp Dogg is pure Southern soul, anchored on tight grooves and accentuated by horns, but the Dogg is as much about message as music…” Although not a commercial success at the time, Swamp Dogg started to develop a cult following and eventually the album sold enough to achieve gold record status. Record critic Robert Christgau wrote that “Soul-seekers like myself are moderately mad for the obscure” album and has called it “legendary”. It was reissued in 2013 by Alive Naturalsound Records. // Around the same time, one of the songs Williams had co-written with Gary Bonds, “She’s All I Got”, became a top-ten R&B hit for Freddie North, and was recorded with even greater success by country star Johnny Paycheck, whose version reached #2 on the country music chart in late 1971. In a later interview on NPR’s Studio 360, Williams stated he was raised on country music: “Black music didn’t start ’til 10 at night until 4 in the morning and I was in bed by then… If you strip my tracks, take away all the horns and guitar licks, what you have is a country song.” However, he also continued to write and produce deep soul songs for other musicians, including Z. Z. Hill and Irma Thomas. In 1971 in collaboration with co-producer and writer the legendary George Semper he released “Monster Walk Pt. 1 and 2” by the Rhythm ‘N’ Blues Classical Funk Band on Mankind Records label. Produced for Jerry Williams Productions, Inc.and in spite of modest sales the record once again demonstrated his entrepreneurial skill as an artist. // As Swamp Dogg, he was signed by Elektra Records for his second album, Rat On! in 1971. The sleeve showed him on the back of a giant white rat, and has frequently been ranked as one of the worst album covers of all time. Sales were relatively poor, and he joined Jane Fonda’s anti-Vietnam War Free the Army tour. His next albums Cuffed, Collared and Tagged (1972) and Gag a Maggott (recorded at the TK Studio in 1973) were released on smaller labels, though his 1974 album, Have You Heard This Story??, was issued by Island Records. In 1977 he had another minor R&B hit with “My Heart Just Can’t Stop Dancing”, credited to Swamp Dogg & the Riders of the New Funk. He continued to release albums through the 1970s and into the mid-1980s as Swamp Dogg, on various small independent labels and in a variety of styles including disco and country and maintained a healthy cult following. He also set up his own publishing and recording company, Swamp Dogg Entertainment Group (SDEG). // In 1999, “Slow Slow Disco” was sampled by Kid Rock on the track “I Got One for Ya”, sparking a revival of interest in Swamp Dogg, who began performing live gigs for the first time. Several other of his recordings were sampled, and in 2009 he released two new albums, Give Em as Little as You Can…As Often as You Have To…Or…A Tribute to Rock N Roll, and An Awful Christmas and a Lousy New Year. He also released some further singles, and a compilation album of the best of his work as both Little Jerry Williams and Swamp Dogg, It’s All Good, was released in 2009. Most of his early Swamp Dogg albums have also been reissued on CD. // Swamp Dogg released a full-length album of new songs in 2014, The White Man Made Me Do It, which Williams described as being a sort of sequel to Total Destruction To Your Mind. Shortly thereafter, Swamp Dogg teamed up with Ryan Olson from Poliça to produce the tracks for his 2018 album Love, Loss & Autotune, Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) fine-tuning the vocal tracks. The song also features instrumentation by Guitar Shorty. The music video for “I’ll Pretend” premiered at NPR and was later featured at Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Spin and elsewhere. Swamp Dogg described the song as a character study about “a guy sitting in a restaurant by himself losing his fucking mind because he’s hoping his woman is gonna walk by, but she’s at a Ramada Inn somewhere fucking somebody else to death.” // In 2020, he released the album Sorry You Couldn’t Make It, a country-styled record recorded in Nashville with producer Ryan Olson and musicians including Justin Vernon, John Prine, and Jenny Lewis. More info at: http://www.theswampdogg.com]

7. (#55.) Hermanos Gutiérrez – “Low Sun”
   from: Sonido Cósmico / Easy Eye Sound / June 16, 2024
   [6th album from Latin instrumental band formed in 2015 in Zürich by Ecuadorian-Swiss brothers Alejandro Gutiérrez (guitar and lap steel) and Estevan Gutiérrez (guitar and percussion). In 2022, the US label Easy Eye Sound released the band’s fifth album, El Bueno y el Malo. // Alejandro& Estevan Gutiérrez, two of four siblings, were raised by an Ecuadorian mother and a Swiss father in Switzerland, and often visited family in Playas, Ecuador. Around age nine, Estevan learned to play classical guitar in Latin styles such as milonga and salsa, and as a surfer was later inspired by surf rocker Jack Johnson. Alejandro, who is eight years younger, taught himself guitar by watching tutorial videos on YouTube. The Hermanos Gutiérrez band traces its origins to a jam session in Alejandro’s apartment in Zürich during a visit from Estevan in 2015. // The band’s first three albums (8 Años, El Camino de mi Alma, and Hoy Como Ayer) drew broadly from the world of Latin music. A visit to Mexico and the Southwest US in February 2020 inspired their fourth album, Hijos del Sol, which incorporated more Western sounds. An eight-minute music video for the title track came out in advance of the album’s release on September 25, 2020. // El Bueno y el Malo, the band’s first non-indie project, was recorded in Nashville in collaboration with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and released by his label Easy Eye Sound on October 28, 2022. The album (and its title) were inspired by Ennio Morricone’s The Good, the Bad & the Ugly soundtrack. The album was critically acclaimed and has been described as mentally transporting listeners to Spaghetti Western landscapes. Songs from El Bueno y el Malo comprised Hermanos Gutiérrez’s set list in an NPR Tiny Desk Concert in January 2023. That year, Auerbach was nominated for the Grammy Award for Non-Classical Producer of the Year in part for his work with Hermanos Gutiérrez.]

8. (#54.) The Fun Guy – “Cinnamon and Cardamom”
   from: From the Attic to the Underground / The Fun Guy / June 6, 2024
   [Lawrence, Kansas based 3-piece band. From I Heart Local Music, June 11, 2024 written by Fally Afani: “The season is ripe for political discontent and a revolution. The Fun Guy’s latest album provides a pretty good soundtrack for such an occasion. // From the Attic to the Underground comes from the Lawrence trio, one of the scene’s newest up-and-coming acts spotted around town over the last year. Fronted by staggeringly tall Ranjit Arab (who is not Arab, but actually Indian and American), the band has been indulging us with a perfectly retro punk vibe (think The Clash). The album was recorded at Exception Studio in Topeka. Songs tackle everything from identity to politics to crimes against indigenous populations (when a seven-foot-tall brown man is yelling at you about stealing land from the indigenous, you need to listen), all against some speedy guitar riffs and beats that always get the crowd going. The band burst out the gate strong at the beginning of the year, and don’t seem to be slowing down. // IHLM: We’re sure you’re a fun guy, but you sound pretty angry on this album. What prompted you to tackle these political themes? // RA: Ha! Yes, the whole point of The Fun Guy is just to have fun and hopefully make people dance and have a good time, but I’m also pretty upset with the state of things these days. How can you not be? If you aren’t, you’re not paying attention. There’s no room to remain silent. We all need to speak up about the atrocities happening in Palestine with our U.S. tax dollars, for example. Meanwhile, “Prisoner or Guard” is about having to work your entire adult life, and “Never Skipped A Beat” has a rant about various respectable professions, so, yeah, I have a lot on my mind these days. IHLM: I imagine you feel like most of us (yours truly included) who live with ethnic identities in the U.S. Which songs helped you process this?RA: All of them did, really–that’s why I write in the first place. I’ve struggled a lot being torn between two cultures (American and Indian), and so everything I create reflects that, I guess. “Lost and Found” was especially therapeutic since it allowed me to rant in a way that wasn’t just shouting. // IHLM: On “Lost and Found,” you proclaim “every city in the nation was built on a foundation of lies.” Tell us how you really feel, Ranjit? // RA: Yes! I’ll always tell you how I really feel. I’m terrible at hiding that. I want people to have fun when they see us, but also leave them with some deep topics like settler colonialism and how we Americans are just as guilty of terrorizing people (Native Americans) as what’s happening now with Palestinians. So, we have a lot of work to do–whether that’s reparations for Indigenous people or putting an immediate end to the genocide against Palestinians.// RA: Right now we’re just looking forward to playing our next show at Lucia on Thursday, and lining up more gigs, writing more songs. I’m sure my politics will always be front and center in my songs, but hopefully people also find the tunes catchy and enjoy the musicianship. I’m especially excited to be playing with bassist Noah Meitler and drummer Foy Keith–we have a good chemistry that’s hard to come by, I think.]

9. (#53.) Marty Bush – “Time Tickin’ By”
   from: The Long Way Home / Marty Bush / August 30, 2024
   [Hailing from the plains of eastern Kansas, Marty Bush is a torchbearer of the American songwriting tradition. His songs resonate with the weight of his influences such as Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley, and Kris Kristofferson, but he has channeled their emotional honesty and unvarnished truth-telling into something uniquely his own. While his 2022 solo debut “The Long Way Home” established him as a devout follower of the country and western songwriting tradition, his follow-up LP “Cowboy Chords”released October 13, 2023, took a bold step forward in establishing his voice as both a songwriter and performer. Taking the reins as both producer and engineer, Bush plays every instrument on the album with the exception of pedal steel which is skillfully manned by Devon Teran (Timbers). The result is a clear and precise vision of songs that honor the past and think to the present. Touring extensively, Bush played over 250 shows in 2022. He continued that break-neck pace into 2023, writing songs from behind the wheel and testing material in dives, honky-tonks, and juke-joints all over the US, pausing in May and June to record, then hitting the road again this July, August, September and October with Natalie Prauser and November with Johnny Lawhorn of The Pentagram String Band.]

10:29 – Underwriting

10. (#52.) MJ Lenderman – “She’s Leaving You”
    from: Manning Fireworks / Anti / September 6, 2024
    [Mark Jacob Lenderman (born 1999), also known as Jake Lenderman and MJ Lenderman, is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has released three solo albums, and also plays with the alternative rock band Wednesday. He also has played drums for Indigo De Souza. Lenderman’s style has been described as alt-country, classic rock, and indie rock music. // Lenderman was born in Asheville, North Carolina. His great-grandfather was saxophonist Charlie Ventura. He was raised Catholic and was an altar boy. He played basketball and obsessively watched tapes of Michael Jordan. He grew up listening to Mark Linkous and Jason Molina. In his junior and senior years of high school, he began posting his music to Bandcamp. Lenderman studied at UNC Asheville for three semesters.[ // In 2018, Lenderman played the drums for fellow Asheville artist Indigo De Souza on her albums I Love My Mom and Any Shape You Take. Lenderman met Karly Hartzman, lead singer for the group Wednesday, and he joined the band for an EP called How Do You Let Love Into the Heart That Isn’t Split Wide Open (2018). // In July 2019, he released a self-titled album, his first solo album. At that time, he was working in an ice cream shop to support himself financially. // Lenderman toured with Wednesday in early February 2020, until the COVID-19 pandemic ended the tour.[4] During the COVID-19 pandemic, while collecting unemployment insurance, Lenderman wrote the songs that became the album Ghost of Your Guitar Solo, released in 2021. // His third album Boat Songs was released in 2022 on Dear Life Records. It was listed as one of the best albums of 2022 by Pitchfork, The A.V. Club, and The Ringer. After the success of the album, Lenderman signed a recording contract with Anti-. In 2023, he released the singles “Rudolph” and “Knockin'”. // Lenderman contributed guitar and vocals to the album Tiger’s Blood by Waxahatchee, released in March 2024, and was listed as featured guest artist on the album’s lead single, “Right Back To It”. In March 2024, Lenderman performed “Right Back To It” with Waxahatchee on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Lenderman’s next album, Manning Fireworks, released in September 2024. // Lenderman was in a relationship with his Wednesday bandmate Karly Hartzman for several years. In July 2024, The Guardian reported that the two had split.]

MJ Lenderman Discography
Albums
MJ Lenderman / June 15, 2019 / Dear Life Records
Ghost of Your Guitar Solo / March 26, 2021 / Dear Life Records
Boat Songs / April 29, 2022/ Dear Life Records
And the Wind (Live and Loose! / November 17, 2023 / Anti-
Manning Fireworks / September 6, 2024 / Anti-

Extended Plays
How Do You Let Love Into the Heart That Isn’t Split Wide Open
MJ Lenderman & Wednesday / December 13, 2018 / Self Released
Faucet Nash to Stoudemire1 / November 7, 2019 / Self-released
Lucky MJ Lenderman / December 25, 2019 / Self-released
Guttering MJ Lenderman & Wednesday / January 22, 2021 / Super Enema
Knockin’ MJ Lenderman / August 20, 2021 / Dear Life Records

11. (#51.) Flamy Grant – “How To Find The Words”
    rom: CHURCH / Glam & Glory Records / October 11, 2024
    [Flamy Grant released her debut album, Bible Belt Baby on October 6, 2022. Flamy’s single “Good Day” released 9/6/23 is the first song by a drag performer to reach #1 on the iTunes Christian charts. It also debuted at #20 on Billboard’s Christian digital chart. // Between those two albums Flamy released a few singles. One of them ia: Fortune Teller Produced by Ben Grace. Sound engineer and electric guitars by Daniel Shearin. // Flamy Grant is winner of 2023 Kerrville New Folk Competition; and the 2023 San Diego Music Award nominee for Best Pop Album for BIBLE BELT BABY, the world’s first contemporary Christian music record by a drag performer. With influences from gospel, blues, folk & rock, hines light on queerness, faith, and overcoming spiritual trauma so often endured by LGBTQ+ people and others who grow up in conservative religious spaces. // Flamy’s iconic roots-rock sound is influenced by singer/songwriters like Natalie Merchant, Tracy Chapman, Over the Rhine, and Amy Grant. Her art shines a spotlight on the queer spiritual journey, telling stories of resilience and recovery from religious trauma. With a bold lip, a big lash, and a blistering voice, Flamy is here to rewrite the rules when it comes to faith-based entertainment, demanding a reckoning for an industry that for too long has silenced and shut out its LGBTQ+ artists and fans. //. Flamy Grant played an Official Showcase the 2024 Folk Alliance Intern. Feb 22.]

12. (#50.) Billie Eilish – “The Diner”
    from: Hit Me Hard And Soft / Darkroom – Interscope / May 17, 2024
    [Third studio album by Billie Eilish. It is her first full-length studio album release since 2021’s Happier Than Ever. Eilish co-wrote Hit Me Hard and Soft with her brother and frequent collaborator Finneas O’Connell, who also produced the album. // Upon release, Hit Me Hard and Soft received universal acclaim from critics, praising the production, songwriting, and vocal performances. It topped the charts in over 20 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, Hit Me Hard and Soft debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, and charted all 10 of its songs in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. The track “Lunch” was released as the lead single concurrently. “Birds of a Feather” was released as the second single from the album to great commercial success, peaking at number two on Billboard Hot 100 and in the top ten of several charts. At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, the album and its songs received a total of seven nominations, including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. // To support the album, Eilish has embarked on her seventh concert tour, Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour, which commenced on September 29, 2024. // Eilish co-wrote and recorded her second studio album, Happier Than Ever, at her brother Finneas O’Connell’s home recording studio, located in the basement of his Los Angeles residence. Recording took place weekly between April 2020 and February 2021, with the track listing finalized by the duo during the album’s creation. Released on July 30, 2021, Happier Than Ever was met with critical acclaim and commercial success, topping the Billboard 200 and nominated twice at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. Eilish surprise-released her second extended play (EP) Guitar Songs in July 2022. The following year, she released “What Was I Made For?” for the soundtrack to the fantasy-comedy film Barbie (2023); she was inspired to write the song after seeing unfinished scenes of the film during its production. The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media. // In December 2021, Eilish began formulating ideas for her third studio album with O’Connell. In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, she mentioned that she hoped to start writing the album in 2023. In December 2023, Eilish said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the album was “almost done”. Three months later, she confirmed that the album had been mastered. // Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell (/ˈaɪlɪʃ/ EYE-lish; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer and songwriter. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single “Ocean Eyes”, written and produced by her brother Finneas O’Connell, with whom she collaborates on music and live shows. In 2017, she released her debut extended play (EP), Don’t Smile at Me. Commercially successful, it reached the top 15 of record charts in numerous countries, including the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. // Eilish’s debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019), debuted atop the US Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart and was one of the year’s best-selling albums. Its single “Bad Guy” became the first by an artist born in the 21st century to top the US Billboard Hot 100 and be certified diamond by the RIAA. The next year, Eilish performed the theme song “No Time to Die” for the James Bond film No Time to Die, which topped the UK Singles Chart and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2022. Her subsequent singles “Everything I Wanted”, “My Future”, “Therefore I Am”, and “Your Power”, each peaked within the top ten in the US and UK. Her second studio album, Happier Than Ever (2021), topped the charts in 25 countries. She wrote and performed “What Was I Made For?” for the fantasy film Barbie (2023), which became her second number-one single in the UK and earned her a second Academy Award. Her third album, Hit Me Hard and Soft (2024), was met with critical acclaim and spawned the US top-five singles “Lunch” and “Birds of a Feather”, with the latter becoming her first number-one on the Billboard Global 200. // Eilish has received multiple accolades, including nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, twenty Guinness World Records, seven MTV Video Music Awards, three Brit Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards. She is the second artist in Grammy history to win all four general field categories—Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, as well as Best New Artist—in the same year. Eilish is also the first person born in the 21st century to win an Academy Award and the youngest ever two-time winner. She was featured on Time magazine’s inaugural Time 100 Next list in 2019 and the Time 100 in 2021. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Billboard, Eilish is the 26th-highest-certified digital singles artist and one of the most successful artists of the 2010s. She was honored as one of the BBC 100 Women in December 2022. // Eilish has a history of political activism, focusing on climate change awareness, women’s reproductive rights, gender equality, and animal rights.]

13. (#49.) Arooj Aftab -“Autumn Leaves (feat. James Francies)”
    rom: Night Reign / Verve / May 31, 2024
    [Arooj Aftab was born March 11, 1985. She is a Pakistani-American singer, composer, and producer. She has worked in various musical styles and idioms, including jazz and minimalism. // Aftab was nominated for the Best New Artist award and won the Best Global Music Performance award for her song “Mohabbat” at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in April 2022. She became the first-ever Pakistani artist to win a Grammy Award. // On the 75th diamond jubilee anniversary of Pakistan, President Arif Alvi awarded Aftab the Pride of Performance Award, Pakistan’s most prestigious award for excellence in the field of art and music. // Aftab was born to Pakistani parents expatriated in Saudi Arabia. When she was about 10 years old, they returned to their native Lahore, Pakistan. She taught herself the guitar and gradually acquired her singing style while listening to Billie Holiday, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Mariah Carey, and Begum Akhtar. At that time, Aftab lived in a country where access to Western online platforms was difficult, and the infrastructure for independent music was lacking. In this context, however, she promoted her music in Pakistan, being one of the first musicians to use the Internet in the early 2000s; her renditions of “Mera Pyaar” and “Hallelujah” went viral and launched the Pakistani indie scene. // Aftab moved to the United States at the age of 19 in 2005 and earned a degree in music production and engineering at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. She moved to New York in 2010 and began working as an editor and scoring films. Since her graduation in 2010, Aftab has lived there, being part of the city’s jazz and “new music” scene. // In April 2011, Aftab was included in the “100 Composers Under 40” selection launched by NPR and WQXR-FM’s Q2 (a contemporary classical music internet radio station). // Aftab’s first album, Bird Under Water, was released independently in 2014. It received critical acclaim from David Honigmann of the Financial Times, who gave the album four out of five stars in March 2015. // She worked as an editor on the documentary Armed With Faith (2017), winning a 2018 Emmy Award afterward. // Her second album, Siren Islands, was released on June 12, 2018, through New Amsterdam Records. NPR included the album in their “Favorite Electronic and Dance Music of 2018” list. The New York Times listed the song “Island No. 2”, which represented the album, in their “25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2018” list. In mid-July 2018, the song “Lullaby”, taken from Bird Under Water, was ranked number 150 on the NPR’s “200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women” list. // In 2020, Aftab sang, among other vocalists, on Residente’s Latin Grammy Award-winning single “Antes Que El Mundo Se Acabe”. That year, she composed the music for the Student Academy Award-winning film Bittu (narrative category) by Karishma Dube. // An anticipated release, Aftab’s third studio album, Vulture Prince, was released on April 23, 2021, via New Amsterdam Records. Thematically, the album discusses stories of people, relationships, and lost moments and is dedicated to the memory of her younger brother, Maher. Vulture Prince received praise from publications such as Pitchfork, NPR, and the Al Jazeera English-language news channel. Barack Obama selected the song “Mohabbat” from this album as one of his summer playlist favorites for 2021. “Mohabbat” was called one of the best songs of 2021 by Time and The New York Times. Vulture Prince was named the best album of 2021 by Netherlands newspaper de Volkskrant, topping their year-end list. Brenna Ehrlich ranked the album sixth on Rolling Stone’s “Best Music of 2021” staff list. It was ranked number twenty by The Guardian on their list of the “50 best albums of 2021”, and Laura Snapes named Aftab “[t]he year’s biggest musical revelation”. While Vulture Prince did not rank on the Los Angeles Times’ top ten “Best Albums of 2021”, it was, however, included on their “15 deserving albums” list. In late 2021, Aftab signed with Verve Records. // Aftab won a Grammy in 2022 for her song “Mohabbat”. In 2023 she became the first Pakistani artist to perform at the Grammys ceremony. // Aftab has performed at notable music venues such as the Barbican, the Chan Centre, the Lincoln Center, the Andy Warhol Museum, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, The Kitchen, (Le) Poisson Rouge, and the Museum of Modern Art. // She has also performed at international music festivals such as Coachella, Glastonbury, Primavera Sound Barcelona, Roskilde Festival, Big Ears Festival, The Ecstatic Music Festival, the San Francisco Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Pitchfork Music Festival and the Newport Folk Festival. In 2018 she opened for Mitski at The Brooklyn Steel. // In 2022, Aftab performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts’s Temple of Dendur, and at The Broad’s 2022 Summer Happenings series. // In May 2024, Aftab was announced as one of the curators for the Dutch music festival Le Guess Who?, set for November 7–10. Aftab’s lineup will include performances by herself, her father, Aja Monet, Dina El Wedidi, Meshell Ndegeocello, Noura Mint Seymali, and Zsela. // Aftab’s music has been described as a blend of jazz fusion, jazz, electronica, neo-Sufi, folk, Hindustani classical, classical music, indie pop, minimalism, and acoustic music. Aftab told the Los Angeles Times that she had aspired that Vulture Prince would “transcend boundaries”. // She has mentioned Abbey Lincoln, Abida Parveen, Anoushka Shankar, Begum Akhtar, Esperanza Spalding, Jeff Buckley, Julius Eastman, Meshell Ndegeocello, Morton Feldman, and Terry Riley as her influences. Aftab also expressed her admiration for Billie Eilish. Lyrically, Aftab has cited Asian poets as influences such as Rumi, Mirza Ghalib, and Hafeez Hoshiarpuri and uses Urdu Ghazal. Her vocals have been described as “meditative”. Vulture Prince revolves around themes of grief and longing. // In October 2023, Aftab signed the Artists4Ceasefire open letter to Joe Biden, President of the United States, calling for a ceasefire of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza. // Aftab has a tremendous love for animals. In 2023 she paired with Pakistani animal rights organization, the Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation to raise funds for their continued animal rescue efforts in Karachi. // Aftab raises her voice for gender equality in the music industry. In 2022 she spoke at Global Citizens’ Women of Influence panel on The Power of Gender in Shaping Culture alongside Gayle King, Pharrell Williams and Gloria Steinem. // In 2024 Aftab once again joined the Global Citizen action platform dedicated to achieving the end of extreme poverty, performing her song “Diya Hai” from her 2022 album Vulture Prince. Info at: http://www.aroojaftab.com]

14. (#48.) Nubya Garcia – “Set It Free (feat. Richie)”
    from: Odyssey / Nubya Garcia – Concord Jazz / September 20, 2024
    [ Nubya Garcia’s album SOURCE from Concord Jazz / released August 21, 2020, was paft of WMM’sa 120 Best Recording 0f 2020. Nubya Nyasha Garcia was born in 1991. She is a British jazz musician, saxophonist, flautist, composer and bandleader. Garcia is the youngest of four siblings born in Camden Town, London to a Guyanese mother, a former civil servant, and a British Trinidadian film maker father. Garcia followed her older siblings to the local Saturday music centre at the age of 5, where she first learned the violin and later played the viola in the London Schools Symphony Orchestra (LSSO). Garcia has said her home life with her stepdad, a brass player with a vast collection of instruments, and her mother a keen collector of all genres of music from reggae and Latin to classical and soul, coupled with the music activities at school, Camden School for Girls, meant she was saturated with music of all genres. Garcia began learning the saxophone at the age of 10, with Vicky Wright until attaining ABRSM G8 distinction. She very early became a member of the Camden Jazz Band, directed by jazz pianist Nikki Yeoh, before joining the junior jazz program at the Royal Academy of Music. She also attended the workshops of Tomorrow’s Warriors under the direction of Gary Crosby. While still in High School, she received a scholarship for a five-week summer program at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. During her Gap Year she studied with former Jazz Messengers member, Jean Toussaint. In 2016 she graduated with Honours from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, in Jazz Performance. In 2017, Garcia released her debut album Nubya’s 5ive via the label Jazz re:freshed. That year, her Nubya Garcia Band was an opening act at Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Festival in Sète; the following year she played at the NYC Winter Jazz Festival and the Jazzfest Berlin.In her 2018 EP When We Are, Garcia explored how electronics can be used in a live jazz environment; the EP was created as a result of the Steve Reid Innovation Award. She is also a member of the Nérija, a collective, and the band Maisha led by drummer Jake Long. In addition, she is a collaborator on albums by Makaya McCraven, Theon Cross, Moses Boyd, the Toshio Matsuura Group and Sons of Kemet to Shabaka Hutchings; contributions from her can be found on five tracks of Brownswoods We Out Here, a sampler album from the modern London jazz scene. Garcia tours internationally, in Europe, India, Australia, and North America. She regularly performs at Greenfield festivals in the UK including Love Supreme Jazz Festival. She has headlined sell-out shows at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club London. Garcia also has a burgeoning reputation as a DJ, with a hit monthly radio residency on NTS Radio since November 2017. Garcia was supposed to perform at the Glastonbury Festival, but the festival had to be cancelled due to the increasing concerns over the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic.]

15. (#47) ALBER – “Caldo”
    from: Lento / Locale Records / April 12, 2024
    [Alberto Racanati is a genre-bending musician originally from Bari, Italy, now established in Kansas City. His musical journey started at age 11 when he learned to play his first notes on the trumpet. At age 14 Alberto enrolled in the Bari Conservatory to pursue his performance degree in the academy, while living a parallel musical existence in the rich musical underground in Southern Italy, playing drums and trumpet in a plethora of bands across all genres. His musical studies then took him to the National Music Academy in Gdansk, Poland, where he lived from 2011 to 2014, discovering the multicultural nature of the arts. In 2014 Alberto moved to the United States to work as a Graduate Assistant at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. In 2016 Alberto continued on to Kansas City to pursue a Doctoral Degree at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he became enamored with the local music scene. 2018 saw the start of Alberto’s journey with electronic music, writing material for trumpet and electronics. This is where the project Alber starts, especially using social media as an interactive, open sketchbook for his sonic excursions. Alberto’s first self-titled album was released in 2020, followed by significant live performing presence in 2021 in Kansas and Missouri. His second album Journey, was then released in 2021. At the same time, Alberto ramped up his touring of the Midwest region and collaboration with a variety of other artists. Most recently in 2023 Alberto was awarded the ArtsKC Inspiration Grant for his multimedia installation “Born at Sea”, a project centered on the idyllic sea scenery of his hometown, debuting in 2024. Additionally he became one of the Charlotte Street Foundation Studio Residents, a program that features some of the most brilliant up and coming artists in the Kansas City region. Still in 2023, Alberto toured the East Coast of the US and his native Italy, in a much welcome reconnection with his musical roots. Currently, Alberto is about to release his third full length album Lento and finalizing his upcoming 2024 tours to the East Coast and Southern Italy.]

11:00 – Station ID

16. (#46.) Elska – “Tesori”
    from: Dancing Alone (LP) / Time Released Sound / July 5, 2024
    [11-track album release. Electronic/Ambient music from KC based Elska. elska is the narrator of cinematic lullabies and creation of Composer Laura Boland. She represents love, imagination, optimism, conflict & awareness. Elska writes, “My vignettes are comprised of moments and memories that explore the human condition and our spiritual migrations in the context of our ever-changing environment.” Composed, recorded, and mixed by Laura Boland in Kansas City, MO. Mastered by Jessica Thompson in San Francisco, CA. Polaroids by Laura Boland, Alex Alexander and Peter Rad. Polaroid stories by Laura Boland Artwork/Design by Colin Herrick and Maria Chenut. // Elska writes: “Hello and thank you for taking the time to read this and listen. I am happy to present Dancing Alone to you: a slow waltz through the darkest corridors of our yesterdays. Here, we excavate dusty memories and are united with our shadows to uncover a reverberating love inside our hearts’ distorted beats. Evocative orchestrations of ghostly soundscapes and nostalgic synth textures decorate this internal terrain and accompany ethereal vocal narrations that tie together the complexities and explorations of “home.” // Elska re;leased the 5 track EP lerden in Januaryt 29, 2021. // Elska released the 8-taxck album elska on September 28, 2018. More info at: elskamusic.me]

17. (#45.) Okay Kaya – “Picture This”
    from: Oh MY God – That’s So Me / Okay Kaya / September 6, 2024
    [Kaya Wilkins (born August 14, 1990), better known as Okay Kaya, is a Norwegian-American musician born in New Jersey. // Wilkins was born in New Jersey and raised in Nesoddtangen, 4 miles outside of Oslo. Raised by her mother along with 5 brothers, she has both Scandinavian and African-American roots. // Wilkins’ first release under the moniker of Okay Kaya was the song “Damn, Gravity”, which was released in 2015. Three years later, she released her first full-length album, Both. The album was recorded with her boyfriend Aaron Maine of the band Porches. In 2020, Wilkins released her second full-length album as Okay Kaya, titled Watch This Liquid Pour Itself, via Jagjaguwar. The album received three out of five stars from The Guardian. Her cover of Cher’s Believe was featured in the HBO show Industry. // Wilkins acted her first role in the Norwegian drama Thelma. In August 2020, she released her mixtape Surviving is the New Living.]

18. (#44.) Nilüfer Yanya – “Mutations (Radio edit)”
    from: My Method Actor / Ninja Tune / September 13, 2024
    [On May 1, 2024 we played Nilüfer Yanya’s single “Like I Say (I runaway)” that came out Appril 24, 2024. This offering followed her celebrated 2022 album PAINLESS and was her release since signing to Ninja Tune. // My Method Actor is the third album by English singer Nilüfer Yanya, released on September 13, 2024 through Ninja Tune. It is Yanya’s first album on the label, and follows her 2022 album Painless. The album was preceded by the singles “Like I Say (I Runaway)”, “Method Actor”, “Call It Love”, “Mutations”, “Made Out Of Memory”, and “Just A Western”. // Yanya worked on the album with English record producer Wilma Archer, and wrote and recorded the album in London, Eastbourne, and Wales. Yanya called the album the “most intense […] in that respect. Because it’s only been us two. We didn’t let anyone else into the bubble.” The album centres on the theme of “entering a transition between one part of life into another”. / Yanya is the daughter of two visual artists. Her mother is of Irish and Barbadian heritage and her father is Turkish. Yanya grew up in Chelsea, London, listening to Turkish music and classical music at home. She gravitated to guitar rock and learned how to play the instrument at the age of 12. // Informally starting her musical career with demos uploaded to SoundCloud in 2014, Yanya turned down an offer to join a girl group produced by Louis Tomlinson of One Direction and focused on developing her own music instead. She has spoken out against this model of talent acquisition, telling The Guardian: “‘Let’s go and pinch some young people, tell them we’re going to make a really successful group but we’re obviously going to make a lot more money than them.’ It’s a very selfish thing to do.” The project was reportedly abandoned after a year. // Her first EP, Small Crimes/Keep on Calling, was released in 2016. Her second EP, Plant Feed, was released in 2017, followed by Do You Like Pain? in 2018. All three EPs were later compiled into the EP Inside Out in 2021. // In 2019, Yanya released her debut studio album, Miss Universe, which received rave reviews and critical acclaim, with critics noting her ability to bounce back and forth between musical and lyrical styles, shifting between “gimlet-eyed composure and cataclysmic panic”. Yanya’s music has been described as nervous and restless, combining influences from indie rock to soul, jazz, and trip hop. A Stereogum review called her voice “malleable and endlessly expressive.”In July 1-2, 2022, Yanya performed before Adele’s first live UK concert after five years, in Hyde Park. Later that year, Yanya was the UK opening act for rock band Roxy Music, who reformed in 2022 for a 50th anniversary tour. Yanya featured on the Bombay Bicycle Club track “Meditate” on the band’s 2023 album My Big Day. Nilüfer Yanya played The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St., Lawrence KC, on Sunday, October 13, at 8:00pm with Angélica Garcia and Lutalo.]

19. (#43.) Zee Underscore – “What More Do You Want?”
    from: The Zee Underscore Experience – EP / Underscore Form / June 15, 2024
    [Zee Underscore is one of 5 children in her family. Zee Underscore studied at The School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) in Cincinnati, Ohio, where her confidence and talent flourished, sparking a deep passion for music creation and supporting artists of diverse backgrounds. Zee completed a five-year electrical engineering program at The University of Cincinnati, and her work in electrical engineering led her to Kansas City. // Zee is co-founder of ZNTL Enterprises. Through this work she emcees and produces outdoor stage shows at First Friday’s in the West Crossroads. // Zee embodies the spirit of dreaming without limits, juggling roles as a singer, songwriter, recording artist, emcee, event coordinator, entrepreneur, and mentor while also working full time as an electrical engineer. // Zee moved to KC to work in engineering, which brought you out to KC, which helped her find herself and rediscover your love for the arts. Family members would give Zee beats and she would write songs to them. Zee’s band imcludes: Alex Chase, Jade Harvey, Stephen Bond who helped Zee translateher songs to live instruments. More info at: http://www.linktr.ee/Zeebee.notes%5D

20. (#42) RxGhost – “Over and Over The Same Things”
    from: Scaffolding / Celery Wolf / April 11, 2024
    [RxGhost is: Josh Thomas on vocals & guitar, Justin Brooks on drums, James Capps on guitar, Chris Smead on bass, and Jeremiah James Gonzales. Scaffolding was produced by RxGhost, recorded and mixed by Paul Malinowski at Massive Sound Studios and mastered by Mike Nolte at Eureka Mastering. Music by RxGhost and Lyrics by Josh Thomas. RxGhost played miniBar, 3810 Broadway, KCMO Saturday, July 20 ay 8:00pm w/ The Sluts, and LYXE. More info at: rxghost.bandcamp.com]

21. (#41.) True Lions – “That’s My Rabbit”
    from: Cold Gravy Bowl / Manor Records / March 1, 2024
    [Alison “Al” Hawkins is a queer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music teacher, and leader of True Lions, a band consisting of Al and whoever is playing music with them, which often includes Fritz Hutchison—a drummer, singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer, bandmate, bandleader, friend, sibling, Gemini, and Kansas Citian who just wants to do a good job and keep it fun for everybody. Last year, True Lions and Fritz Hutchison released a homemade split cassette tape via Manor Records. When their drummer Eli Kosko moved to the desert, Al, Fritz and bassist Carly Atwood started performing acoustically. When Carly was sometimes unavailable, Al and Fritz explored amplified fiddle, synth, and drums, through old-time tunes. Their noise art creation COLD GRAVY BOWL is scheduled for cassette release Friday, March 1 via Manor Records. // COLD GRAVY BOWL is the demon music baby of Kansas City duo Al Hawkins and Fritz Hutchison, blending amplified fiddle distortion, heavy drums, and bass synth through Ozark old-time. The album artwork was drawn by local queer artist Spade Nine. // True Lions released the True Lions- Fritz Hutchison Split Cassette through Manor Records on April 26, 2023. True Lions released their debut full length album, “The Fempire Strikes Back,” on Manor Records on April 9, 2021 with Alisön Hawkins on keytar & vocals; Adee Rocket Dancy on cello & vocals; Claire Adams on guitar, Elizabeth Kosko on drums & percussion; Iona DeWalt on synthesizers; Miki P on guitar & vocals, and Teri Quinn on bass & vocals. Recorded at Deep Space Co-op. Tracking & engineering by Ross Brown at Escape Pod Audio. Mixing and mastering by Joel Nanos at Element Recording. In 2019 True Lions released their EP debut, “Cute at Best,” on February 5, 2019. They followed up with a second EP called. You’re Not Invited, released on November 9, 2019. For these recordings True Lions was: Alison Hawkins on guitar, synth, and vocals; Elizabeth Kosko on percussion, vocals; Mikala Petillo on bass, vocals; Claire Adams on guitar, vocals; Leslie Butsch on saxophone, Ezgi Karakus on cello; and Teri Quinn on vocals. All songs written by True Lions and produced by Claire Adams and Alison Hawkins. Tracking & Engineering by Claire Adams. Mixing and Mastering by Ian Dobyns and Chase Horseman. More info at: http://www.manorrecords.com . // True Lions played a Cold Gravy Bowl, Album Release show March 2, 2024 with The Matchsellers, at The Emerald, 1717 W. 9th Street, KCMO [West Bottoms]. A theatrical punk drag rock and roll folk event. // True Lions joined us Feb. 28, 2024]

22. (#40.) Quiet Takes – “Meri Said”
    from: Regrets Only / Sarah Magill / February 15, 2024
    [Songwriter Sarah Magill makes music for feelers as Quiet Takes. A writer and wanderer, Magill is currently establishing a nomadic creative practice and will be releasing her first full-length solo album (recorded in Eau Claire, Wisconsin) in early 2024. Written by Sarah Michelle Magill. Produced, engineered & mixed by Zach Hanson. Mastered by Huntley Miller. Recorded at The Hive in Eau Claire, WI. Environmental sound recorded by Sarah Michelle Magill in various locations, except 2, recorded by Redditor @roffels. // On November 5, 2021 Quiet Takes released the EP, Weekly, Weakly with music written by Sarah Magill, produced by David Bennett, with vocals & keyboards by Sarah Magill. Guitars, bass and percussion by David Bennett. Drums by Jared Bond. Engineered and mixed by David Bennett at Aorist Studios in Kansas City, MO. Mastered by Zach. Weekly, Weakly the third collaboration between Magill and producer/multi-instrumentalist David Bennett. “Ghosty…” was inspired by pandemic-era panic attacks and social unease. This song was one way I tried to process the new, very anxious voice inhabiting my brain, which I nicknamed Ghosty. Sarah writes, “I made the WEEKLY, WEAKLY EP exactly as titled: During weekly Friday sessions at Aorist Studios with my producer, David Bennett, while feeling extremely weak. I was living alone during the pandemic and (like many of us) coping with isolation, depression and anxiety. Making this EP was my lifeboat. Both the process of making music — refining lyrics, experimenting with new textures, collaborating on harmonies — and the commitment to the weekly process kept me relatively grounded and connected. This project tethered me to human-ness when I was afraid I was going to float off into some kind of feral, disconnected netherworld of pandemic loneliness. I’ll forever be grateful to David and his wife, Kayla, for creating a safe space to continue working at Aorist during such a dangerous time.” WEEKLY, WEAKLY followed the release of Sarah Magill’s EP, SAN FIDEL under her moniker, Quiet Takes. Released March 5, 2021. Written by Sarah Magill. Produced by David Bennett and Sarah Magill. Vocals and keys by Sarah Magill on vocals & keyboards, David Bennett on guitars and bass, Ian Thompson on additional keyboards & synthesizers, Kyle Rausch on drums, and Bryan Koehler on percussion. Engineered and mixed by David Bennett at Aorist Studios in Kansas City, MO. Mastered by Zach Hanson. Cover image by Shawn Brackbill. Sarah Magill released her single “Wanted (The Dirty Windshield Version)” on May 1, 2020. . Sarah Magill released AHEM, a 4-song EP, on December 11, 2020. The songs were originally released under her old project name MYRY, in November 2018. Quiet Takes (formerly MYRY) is an on-going collaborative music project by Sarah Magill a writer & musician based in KC. She performs with a rotating cast of friends—although these stay-at-home days, she is playing solo. In KC, she is known for hosting house shows and co-founding Rubix, a performance art collective. MYRY’s first EP, AHEM, was released in 2018. Sarah released four of MYRY’s songs from that 2018 EP release as Quiet Takes singles in 2020. Sarah Magill was a guest on WMM on May 13, 2020. We interviewed Sarah Magill on WMM on March 10, 2021 and Nov. 2, 2021. // Quiet Takes played Knuckleheads Gospel Lounge, February 24, opening for friend Sara Swenson. // Info at: https://quiettakes.com ]

23. (#39.) Lonnie Fisher – “I Will Never Forget”
    from: FLOATING PALACE / Lonnie Fisher / August 9. 2024
    [Recorded with Duane Trower at Weights & Measures Soundlab. Lonnie Fisher studied music at Kansas State University, graduating in 1992. By 1999 he was touring with his band, Sturgeon Mill. After the band broke up Lonnie embarked on a solo career while also pursuing a career as a chef. After the loss of his girlfriend to cancer in 2005 Lonnie began to struggle with alcoholism. In 2008 Lonnie suffered a major stroke followed by a second stroke two years later. His life as a chef and musician stopped as Lonnie struggled to relearn everything and rehabilitate. Against all odds, Lonnie returned to the studio and stage in 2018. He couldn’t return to the kitchen due to the inability to move fast enough, but started his own business as a personal chef. Lonnie Fisher released the EP SEEDS on July 27, 2023. Lonnie Fisher released the 8 track album BEAUTIFUL STAR on February 9, 2023. Lonnie Fisher released his 8-song, solo album FAMOUS GIRL on January 19, 2022. It was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2022. FAMOUS GIRL was engineered by Ed Rose and Duane Trower with contributions from: Chris Nunez. Tim Jenkins, Tim Manning, and Julia Reynolds. On October 22, 2021 with his band Lonnie Fisher And The Funeral released HAUNTED with Lonnie Fisher on lead vocals, 5 String Guitar & Keyboards; Tim Jenkins on guitars; Chris Nunez on drums, Tim Manning on bass, & Julia Reynolds on vocals & keyboards.More information at: http://www.lonniefisher.bandcamp.com.]

24. (#38.) Paris Williams & The Human – “Alien Luv” (radio edit)
    from: A Paris Williams Joint / Bitter Sweet Sound / November 19, 2024
    [Paris Williams is a 25-year old artist from Muskegon, Michigan in the midst of redefining the bedroom pop label. Employing his own sound that he’s dubbed, “bittersweet,” Williams never shuts away from his DIY aesthetic – producing his own work to maintain full creative flexibility. Premiering in December of 2019 with his debut album, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, Paris is a believer in hitting the ground running and then just never letting off the gas. This mentality was shaped by the inspiration he’s pulled from other famously out-of-the-box artists: such as Kanye West, Pharrell, and Toro y Moi. // Fueled by the multi-faceted artists, Williams believes heavily in pulling from all creative mediums as a way to add layers and texture to his music. This approach has led to Williams seeing support from larger than life musical pillars, like Iggy Pop himself – who showed love to Williams’ song of the same name by spinning it on his BBC radio show in 2018. Williams reshapes the musical landscape around him as his burgeoning career continues to solidify its own form more and more each day by bringing in a breath of fresh air with him everywhere since he wrote his first bars in elementary school. Paris Williams previously released the single, “Hopscotch” on June 21, 2022. He released,“Chunky”on April 20, 2022. He released the single, “Sunsets & Solariums (feat. Bloom Allen)” on October 21, 2021 through Bittersweet Sounds. More info at: allmylinks.com/popstarparis]

11:28 – Underwriting

26. (#36.) Dan Camino – “Get You By”
    from: Rock Dreams / Camino Records / October 4, 2024
    [Released as a single with “Connections” on September 6, 2024. Solo debut album from Kansas City-based artist Dan Camino who is also the frontman of Field Daze. Dan Camino wrote that he put at least 1000 hours of his life into the production of this album, almost two years, and did all the heavy lifting besides drums on the first two songs. // Field Daze, is an Indie Rock/Dreampop band, originated in Kansas City, Missouri when Rodd Fenton and Dan Camino responded to a Facebook call to start a Dreampop band. Their collaboration led to the creation of early demos. Shortly after, they were joined by Tracer Cauy, Kyer Lasswell, and Beau Harris, solidifying the band’s lineup. // The band has packed venues like The Rino, The Ship, and The Bottleneck. Field Daze’s live performances became synonymous with an immersive musical experience, drawing in crowds with their captivating melodies. // Currently, the band channels their creativity by recording homegrown tracks within Rodd Fenton’s personal studio, honing their craft and evolving their unique sound.]

27. (#35.) Danielle Nicole – “Make Love”
    from: The Love You Bleed / Forty Below Records / January 26, 2024  
    [Danielle Nicole is one of the finest singers and bassists in roots music today. Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, she has spent her life making music and pleasing fans, both domestically and abroad. Her stunning new album, The Love You Bleed, includes twelve heartfelt tracks exploring themes of love, loss, and perseverance. It will be released this Friday, January 26 on Forty Below Records. // The Love You Bleed was co-produced by Tony Braunagel (Taj Mahal, Eric Burdon, Robert Cray) and Nicole, with John Porter (B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Bryan Ferry) mixing. The tight-knit group on the album features Danielle on bass guitar and vocals; Brandon Miller (electric, acoustic, pedal steel, mandolin, and 12-string guitar), Damon Parker (keyboards); Go-Go Ray (drums), and Stevie Blacke (violin and cello). // Nicole was inducted into the Kansas City Hall of Fame and has been the recipient of seven Blues Music Awards.  Her last release Cry No More was nominated for a Grammy in the Contemporary Blues category, debuted at number one on the Billboard Blues Charts and boasts over 10 million streams on Spotify. // Danielle Nicole’s last release, CRY NO MORE, released February 23, 2018, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.. Her self-titled solo debut EP was released March 10, 2015 on Concord Records. The self-titled EP features Grammy Award-winning producer-guitarist Anders Osborne, Galactic’s co-founding drummer Stanton Moore and keyboardist Mike Sedovic. On February 25, 2015, American Blues Scene premiered the track “Didn’t Do You No Good” off the new EP. Danielle Nicole was previously in the band Trampled Under Foot with her brothers Kris and Nick Schnebelen. At the 2014 Blues Music Awards, Trampled Under Foot’s album, Badlands, won the ‘Contemporary Blues Album of the Year’ category. At the same ceremony, Danielle Nicole, under the name of Danielle Schnebelen, triumphed in the ‘Best Instrumentalist – Bass’ category. The band was also nominated in the ‘Band of the Year’ category. In September 2015, her debut album, Wolf Den, was released on Concord Records. It reached number 2 in the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart in October that year. Danielle Nicole’s second solo album, Cry No More, peaked at # 1 in the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. Bill Withers wrote one of the tracks on the new album. // Danielle Nicole played Records With Merritt, at 1614 Westport Rd. in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 2, 2024.]

28. (#34.) Say That Again – “Stuck Around”
    from: Get Over It / Say That Again / February 23, 2024
    [ Say That Again were formed in early 2020 with Will Kuenne on lead vocals & rhythm guitar, Trecen Peeler on bass, Vinnie Cascone on drums, and Carlos Nunez on lead guitar. Their music is a fun blend of Alternative/Indie Rock and Bedroom Pop that’ll get your toes tapping. Say That Again released their debut EP “Flying Cars” in December of 2021 and just released their first full-length album, “Get Over It” on February 23, 2024. More info at: linktr.ee/SayThatAgainKC. // Say That Again played miniBar at 3810 Broadway Rd KCMO on Friday, March 8 with City Grey, The Chunk, and Breaking In.]

29. (#33.) MellowPhobia – “Finding It Hard”
    from: The Act of Loving In Return / Jackal And Hide Records / May 15, 2024
    [Based in Kansas City, Kansas, MellowPhobia is an alt-rock band that brings a lively and dynamic sound to the music scene. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the band relocated and recorded their debut EP, “Is This Seat Taken?” released in 2021. Their single, “Jackal” later gained attention, leading to performances at festivals and indie venues. Notable highlights include sharing stages with national touring acts such as The Greeting Committee, the Regrettes, The Velveteers, Colony House, and more. By 2024, “Jackal” had surpassed 40,000 streams and the band continues to grow its fan base. Looking ahead, MellowPhobia is gearing up for new releases, each contributing to their evolving sound. // From I Heart Local Muaic., May 15, 2024 written by Fally Afani: “ It’s been a while since we’ve had a really well-produced local indie album come our way, but MellowPhobia continues to check all our boxes. // The Act of Loving in Return is a masterclass in youthful angst. It kicks off with the frustration-laden “Finding It Hard,” setting the tone right away for the album with angsty lyrics over guitar tantrums. From there, the band continues to share their dissatisfactions with us, all while treating their listeners to fantastically-written melodies. We’ve noticed that their bridges are always a moment for quiet reflection before diving back into their noisy airing of grievances. We love it. The frontperson certainly has the vocals for this mood. // We’ve said before that this is a great band live. However, they’ve been garnering a lot of attention online for their recorded work as well. The single “Jackal” is a popular one at shows, but it’s racked up thousands of streams on Spotify. There’s a great vintage vibe for songs like “Scholars” and “Therapy.” “Los Angeles” breaks our hearts, and closer “Breaker Waves” is absolutely stunning. // MellowPhobia is great therapy for today’s young fans. Their live sets are already a blast, but The Act of Loving in Return seals the deal with solid indie rock songwriting. The sheer innocence of it all is enough to leave us emotionally wrecked. We hear these songs and just want to hug them (or shake them) and say “You have your whole lives ahead of you! It’s going to be ok!” If nothing else, this is a perfect Summer album released at just the right time. // MellowPhobia played Lawrence Pride on June 1, 2024.]

30. (#32.) Laura Marling – “No One’s Gonna Love You Like I Can”
    rom: Patterns in Repeat / Chrysalis Records / October 25, 2024
    [8th studio album from Laura Beatrice Marling, born Feb. 1, 1990, from Eversley, Hampshire. Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim, her 2nd album I Speak Because I Can, and her 4th album Once I Was An Eagle were all nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2008, 2010, 2013, respectively. She won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards, and was nominated for the same award at the 2012 and 2014 Brit Awards. The youngest of three daughters, Marling learned guitar at an early age. Her father, Sir Charles William Somerset Marling, the 5th Marling Baronet, ran a recording studio, introduced her to folk music and shaped her musical taste, an experience that Marling later described as, “a bit of a blessing and a bit of a curse….[because] I couldn’t slot myself into the age-appropriate genre”. Marling received a scholarship to attend Leighton Park School, a private Quaker school in Reading, Berkshire. During her secondary school years she felt uneasy around other people and was afraid of death. Marling dated Noah and the Whale singer/guitarist Charlie Fink briefly before the pair separated in 2008. She also dated Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons until late 2010. She moved to Silver Lake in LA, California in 2013, before relocating back to London in December 2014. In September 2013, Marling explained: “I am a solitary person but I love people, I’m not a misanthrope. I like the idea of speaking only when it’s strictly necessary. The closest I ever feel to people is in shared experience. I’m still exploring that, I don’t know where it’s going to lead me.]

31. (#31.) Samara Joy – “Autumn Nocturne”
    from: Portrait / Verve / October 11, 2024
    [Samara Joy’s Grammy Winning Linger Awhile was released September 16, 2022 and was part of WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2022. // Samara Joy McLendon, is known professionally as Samara Joy. She won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in 2019 and was named Best New Artist by Jazz Times for 2021. // A native of the Castle Hill section of the Bronx, Joy was born in 1999 into a musical family. Her paternal grandparents, Elder Goldwire and Ruth McLendon, were founders of Philadelphia gospel group The Savettes. Her father, a bass player who has toured with gospel singer/songwriter/producer Andraé Crouch, introduced her to gospel greats like The Clark Sisters, and soul and Motown were also a big presence in her home. // At Fordham High School for the Arts she performed with the jazz band, and won Best Vocalist at Fordham University’s “Essentially Ellington” competition at Lincoln Center. But she first encountered jazz in a meaningful way when she enrolled in the jazz program at SUNY’s Purchase College as a voice major, and was named an Ella Fitzgerald Scholar. Friends there introduced her to the great jazz vocalists like Sarah Vaughan and Fitzgerald and instrumentalists like Kenny Washington, Jon Faddis (with whom she studied) and Ingrid Jensen. While she was still in college, before the release of her first album, film director Regina King called her “a young woman who seems like Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald are both living in her body.” // In 2019, as Samara McLendon, she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. // Working with producer and eventual manager Matt Pierson, she recorded her self-titled debut album while still in college, graduating magna cum laude in 2021. Samara Joy was released on July 9, 2021 with Whirlwind Records. // On February 15, 2022 she performed on Today with guitarist Pasquale Grasso and performed again on Today in September 2022.// She released a number of viral video performances, including one that had been viewed over 1.5 million times as of October 2020. These videos had as of November 2022 gaineduding a series of sold-out conc and other festivals, as well as in Europe. // In February 2021 she was featured in Women of Color on Broadway, Inc.’s music video of “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess and on jazz pianist Julius Rodriguez’s album Let Sound Tell All. // Jazz Times named her Best New Artist for 2021. // On June 15, 2022 she was featured at Carnegie Hall’s 16th Annual Notable Occasion. and appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival. On September 16, 2022 she released her second album, Linger Awhile, on Verve Records. The album features drummer Kenny Washington, guitarist Pasquale Grasso, pianist Ben Paterson, and bassist David Wong. // She won two Grammy Awards, for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album for Linger Awhile.]

32. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
    from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]

Tune into WMM thru Dec. for WMM’s 120 Best Recordings of 2024 Dec 4, 11, 18, and 25.

NEXT WEEK, On December 25, we will bring you the finale, part 4 of our 4-week special: The 120 Best Recordings of 2024. We’ll count down #30 through #1 with tracks from: Eddie Moore, Kirstie Lynn & Galen Clark, The Swallowtails, Kat King, Clarke Wyatt, Supermoto, Amble Haunt, The Roseline, Miss Boating, BLACKSTARKIDS, Flight Attendant, Waxahatchee, Krystle Warren & The Faculty, The Highwater, Little Miss Dynamite, Scott Hrabko & The Rabbits, Shabaka, Jamie xx, Charli xcx, X, Beth Gibbons, Moses Sumney, The Cure, Mdou Moctar, Leyla McCalla, Hembree, Cheery, Nala Sinephro, Adrianne Lenker, and Meshell Ndegeocello.

Thank you to all who have donated during our two Fall Fund Drive Show on Wednesday MidDay Medley and our WMM Facebook Fundraiser, we received donations from 46 individuals who donated a total of $3436.00. That is 97% of our ambitious goal, I call that a success!!!

THANK YOU to our incredible KKFI Staff; Director of Development & Communications – J Kelly Dougherty, Volunteer Coordinator – Darryl Oliver, Chief Operator – Chad Brothers, KKFI Accounting & Administration – Shaina Littler

This radio station is more than the individual hosts of each individual radio show. Instead it is about a collective spirit of hundreds of hardworking people, unselfishly setting aside ego, to work for the greater good of community building and the gigantic goal of keeping our airwaves free, non-commercial, and open to all! Congratulations and thank you to all programmers & volunteers who went the extra effort to keep our station alive.

Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information.
Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org

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Show #1074